Wringer



N. L. ETTEN Dec. 23, 1958 WRINGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 8. 1955 FIG.5

INVENTOR NICHOLA6 L. ETTEN r ATTORNEYS m Q zaw;

N. L. ETTEN Dec. 23, 1958 WRINGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 8. 1955 N wHm INVENTOR M lCHOLA5 L. ET TEN 41. K ATTORNEYS by Q N. L. ETTEN Dec. 23, 1958 WRINGER 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 8. 1955 ATTO R N EYS m T N E V m N\CHOLA5 L.. ETTEN 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR N. L. ETTEN WRINGER I 38mm.

Dec. 23, 1958 Filed Dec. 8. 1955 2,865,190 WRINGER llicholars L. Etten, Gedar Fails, Iowa, assignor to Champertain Ciii'poi'atiiin, Waterloo, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa.

'A ipli'catibn Deeelnber '8, 1955, Serial Nr5513794 s clniis. (cits-'26s This invention relates to awringer "of the type inl'which clot hes rthe "like are passed between a pair of rolls rotatable on vertically "spaced parallel horizontal axes. In

such' wringers, lightweight articles oftentimes 'clihgtbbne oftherolls, usually the upper roll when the lower roll is driven, to become wrappedtherea'round and prevent .proper-functioning'of the'wringer. Itis therefore desirablethatthe wringer'have a construction such that 'articles bereadily removed fromthe upp err'oll, and it is an object bfthis-invfition'tb provide such a wringer.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide '"a wring'er in which the topstructure u'suallyprovided over theupper roll is eliminated' to obtain anopen top constructio'nby whieh removal of articles isf'acilitat'ed, 'as well asto obtain a compact wringer.

a wringer in which the rolls are movable a eiibstantial distance apart'which also facilitates rainwater articles which may beeoniel wrapped around the an-s.

A fu'rth'er "object-"of the invention is toprovid'e a'vvringer having a pressure-applying mechanism which is readily 'actuated toebtainthe proper pressure between tlie'rolls.

Another object 'of the invention is to provide a'wr'inger which is compact, simple and reliable in construction and operation, and which comprises parts readily and eeofi'o'mically manufactured and assembled.

It is desiiable that the u pei'ron bethe'vertic'ally friovable roll and that a drive connection be provided fo'ii the lower aiid's'tat'ibnary roll. It may be noted that with the lower roll driven, any curling eiiect produced (in the'elo'thing article being processed is opposed by gravity and if the article does cling to one of the rolls", it will be the upper roll. M

According 6 a "spedifid feature of the iiiifer'iiidh, an actuating element on the frame is arranged to engage a "stop surface connected to 'at least ene 'of the bearings for the movable rbll to move the sanie tb'ward the stationary roll, and such actuating element is "movable out of the path o'f t'he abutment surface so as'n'ot to interfere with movement of the movable roll away earn the stationary roll. substantial distance.

Preferably, a pair of actuating elements are provided with each being associated with a stop surface coiin'ected to'one of the bearings for the movable roll. Such actuati'ng elements may be mounted on the frame for pivotal movement about parallel axes transverse to the axes of the rolls, with a link connected between arms on the actuating elements for effecting conjoint actuation thereof. Thus, the link may extend parallel to the rolls and may be positioned below the lower side of the upper roll for providing the open top construction.

Theactuating elementor elements may be directly actuated but preferably are actuatedthrough a force-multiplying mechanism. In accordance with an important feature of the invention, a manually actuat -able handle elementis arranged to project outwardly from the wringer Thus, the rolls can be readily moved apart a which illustrate apreferred embodiment cd dia' r qt P in s t iSi i i Q;, Figure 2 is an elevationalfsectional view through the 7 2,865,190 l atented Dec. 23, 19 58 2 ready actuation" to reset the rolls of the into pressure engagement, but such handle element is foldable inwardly {into compact relation to the Wringer. Prefer- ;ably, the handle element when not in use forms a parrot the outer housing for the wringer.

This inventionconteinplates other ahd riioreisplecifieobeat features and advantages which willLbecgine mdre fu a p ent r m h v qns nsd ilesl s taken in conjunction with the accomp any'irigdrawings my! .1,=; ger constructed Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wrin wringerofFigu're 1;

i re :2 is n s f f i icm i vievr he fbf the wringer of Figure l withfa handle element moved downwardly toward a pressure resettingposition; A .t

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the mechanism fof the wringer of Figure 1 withpressur'e released between the wringer rolls and with a reset handle'in an intermedi- 7 ate position; s H l V d Figure isia sectional view taken substantially along line V V of Figure 2; and I I p j V Figured is a sectional view taken substantially along H Reference numeral 10 generally designates a constructed according to the principles of this invention in which articles of clothing a; the like are passed .be-

tweena lower roll 11 and an upper roll 12 on vertically spacedparallel horizontal axes The rolls 11 and 12 are normally urged together with considerable pressure which may be released by either pushing or pulling either "one of a pair of release bars 13 and 14 extending along the sides of the Wringer. g I.

To reset the rolls 11 and 12 into pressure engagement, a handle element 15Iis swung in a counterclockwise; direction as viewed in Figure 1 to a position in which it projects outwardly from the Wringer and is then moved downdirection as viewed in Figure 1 when pressure is released between the wringer rolls. The wringer is preferably arranged to be mounted on a washing machine "or the like with the rolls 11, 12 coupled to a driven element of the washing machine through a suitabl e coupling assembly controlled by a flipper element 20. I

Therolls i1 and 12 are formed by molding rubber on shafts 2i and 22 which project atboth ends '"beyond'the rtibber. The left and right-hand ends of thelower 'roll shaft 21 are supported on bearing blocks 23 and 24 which are preferably of hard wood supported on pins 25 and 26 which are supported through brackets 27 and 28 from the opposite ends of a frame member 29 underlying the lower roll 11. I y J n s U In the operative position of the upper roll 12, pressure is exerted downwardly on the ends of the shaft 22 to exert pressure between the rolls. For this purpose a pair of bearings 30 and 31 are arranged topress downwardly against the left and right-hand ends of the shaft 22. The bearings 34 and 31 are engaged by saddle plates 32 and 33 which have flange portions 34 andSS extending downwardlypast the ends of the upper roll. shaft 22. A pair of generally l j-shaped brackets 36 and 37 have bight portions underlying the end portions of the upper roll shaft 22 and out-turned ears underlying the end portions of each of the saddle plates 32 and 33. j p

The out-turned ears of the bracket 36 areindicated by reference numeral 36a in Figures 5 and 6 and it will be understood that similar ears are provided on the bracket 37.

. A pair of vertically extending cage members 38 and 39 are provided each of which has a pair of out-turned side fiange portions and a pair of in-turned cars at the upper I ends of such flange-portions which ears underlie the ears of the brackets 36 and 37. The inturned ears of the v bracket 38 are indicated by reference numeral 38a in Figures 5 and 6 and it will be understood that similar ears are provided on the bracket or cage member 39.

' A pair of bolts 40 and a pair of coiled compression springs 41 are provided for the left-hand bearing assembly, the

bolts 40 having head portions at the lower ends thereof and shank portions extending upwardly through the I springs 41, through the ears of thecage member 38, the

' ears of the bracket 36 and the end portions of the saddle plate 32 with nuts 42 being threaded on the upper end of the bolts 40. The nuts 42 are adjustable to obtain the proper pressure between tthe rolls. A similar pair of bolts 43, springs 44 and nuts 45 are provided on the righthand bearing assembly. A pair of generally channelshaped upright guide members 46 and 47 are secured to the left and right-hand ends of the frame member 29 to 7 gu de the bearing assemblies in vertical movement.

To exert pressure between the rolls 11 and 12, downward pressure is exerted on the cage members 38 and 39 i to exert downward pressure on the up er ends of the I sprin s 41, 44. The s rings urge the bolts 40, 43 downparallel horizontal axes transverse to the axes of the rolls 11, 12. The lever 48 has a pair of fin er portions 52 arranged to extend into an opening in the cage member 38 and engage an abutment surface defined by a struck-out or turned-over led e 53. The lever 49 has a similar pair of finger ortions 54 arran ed to extend into an opening in the cage member 39 and engage a ledge 55 thereof.

The lever 48 and 49 are rotated in a clockwise directron as viewed in Figure 2 to cause the fin ers 52 and 54 to move into the o enin s in the cage members 38 and 39 and en age the ledges 53 and 55 to move the cage members 38 and 39 downwardly and exert pressure between the ro ls. To release the pressure. the levers 48. 49 are r t ted in a counter-clockwi e direction to withdraw the fingers 52. 54 out of the path of the abutment surfaces defined by the ledges 53 and 55 so as not to interfere with upward movement of the cage members 38 and 39 and therebv allow substantial upward movement of the upper roll 12.

Means are provided interconnecting the levers 48 and 49 for effecting conjoint movement thereof. In particular, a pair of lever arms 56 and 57 are secured to the ends of the shafts 50 and 51 as shown in Figure 4 and a generally channel-shaped link bar 58 has end portions pivotally secured by pins 59 and 60 to the lever arms 56 and 57 at equal radii from the axes of the shafts 50 and 51 with the pins being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the spacing of the axes of the shafts 50 and 51. A coiled tension spring 61 is secured at one end to the left-hand end of the link bar 58 and at the other end to the frame member 29 to exert a force urging the levers 56 and 57 in a counter-clockwise direction.

Either one of the levers 48 or 49 might be directly actuated. Preferably, however, the lever 48 is actuated through a force-multiplying mechanism. In particular,

' the lever 48 has an arm portion 63 which is coupled to a lever 64 on a shaft 65 through a link 66 pivotally connected by a pin 67 to the arm 63 and by a pin 68 to the lever 64. The spacing between the axes of the pin 68 and shaft 65 is preferably less than the spacing between the axes of the pin 67 and shaft 50 to provide force-multiplication.

The lever 64 is actuated by the handle element 15. In particular, the handle element 15 is connected to the lever 64 through a pin 69 with means being provided for limiting counter-clockwise movement of the handle 15 after it is moved to a position projecting outwardly from the wringer so that with downward movement of the handle 15 after it has reached such a position, the lever 64 will be rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. Such means comprises a plate 70 which is turned over at one end to define a hooked portion 71 pivoted on the pin and turned over at the other end to define a hooked portion 72 wh ch carries pin 73. The ends of the pin 73 ride in channels formed in the handle 15. When the handle is rota ed in a counter-clockwise direction, the ends of the pin 73 will ride in such channels until the plate enga es an integral flat plate portion 74 of the lever 64. The handle 15 is almost in such a position in the illustration of Fi ure 4. With further counter-clockwise movement of the handle 15. it will move as a unit with the lever 64 and plate 70. so that pressure can be applied between the rolls with considerable leverage.

The handle 15 is swung in a clockwise direction toward its folded osition bv a wire s ring 75 coiled about the pin 69 with one end thereof enga ng the portion 74 of the lever 64 and with the other end thereof locked to the hand e 15.

Re easable latch means are provided for latch ng the mechanism in a ressure-applying position. In particular, a latch lever 76 is pivoted on a pin 77 and has a hooksh pe portion 78 arran ed to receive a pin 79 on the lever 64 to prevent clockwise movement thereof. The latch lever 76 is ur ed bv a spring 80 in a counter-clockw se direction to a latching pos tion. and a release mechanism operated by the release bars 13 and 14 is provided for moving the lever 76 in a clockwise direction to release the ressnre-aoolving or reset mechanism. In particular, a pair of enerallv upri ht levers 81 and 82 are pivotally secured at their lower ends to the bracket 27 and a generallv U-sh ped link member 83 connects the levers 81 and 82. The levers 81 and 82 have inw rdlv extending arms arran ed to enga e a flange ortion 84 of the latch member 76 when the levers 81, 82 are pivoted in either direction.

The levers 81 and 82 are turned outwardly at their upper ends for receiving the left-hand ends of the release bars 13 and 14 and a similar air of levers 85 and 86 re eive the ri ht-hand ends of the release bars 13 and 14 with the levers 85 and 86 being pivoted at their lower ends to the bracket 28 and being connected by a link 87 similar to the link 83.

The eft-hand release lever assembly 81, 82 and 83 and the ri ht-hand assembly 85. 86 and 87 are, of course, coupled to ether by the release bars 13 and 14 and may be additionally coupled to ether by a rod 88 extending alon the frame of the wringer and iournalled by means including a bracket 89. The rod 88 has an arm portion 90 at its left-hand portion 92 of the link 83. and the rod 88 has a similar arm portion at its ri ht-hand end coupled to the link 86 in a similar fashion. By thus using the rod 88 to couple the release lever assemblies together, the release bars 13 and 14 do not have to be relied upon for this purpose, and the release bar and the connection of the same to the lever assemblies do not have to be as 7 strong as they would otherwise have to be.

' connection such as a pin 94 on the right-hand portion of the shaft 21.

It is desirable that the drive of the wringer rolls be diseontinued when pressure is released between the rolls.

assent) For this purpose, an element 95 of the drive coupling mechanism may be engaged and actuated by a flange portion 96 of a plate 97 mounted 'on the shaft 51 inside the lever arm 57 and locked to the lever arm 57 by a pin 98. The drive coupling assembly and the exact manner of functioning of element 95. form no part of the present invention, and they are therefore not described or illustrated in detail.

It may be noted that channels 99 and 100 extend along the sides of the frame member 29 to rigidify the same and also to serve as a means for mounting the side plates 16 and 17 of the shroud or housing.

It will thus be appreciated that this invention provides a wringer having an open top construction with the upper roll being releasable to move upwardly a substantial distance for ready access thereto. The pressure-applying mechanism is readily actuated and released and is reliable in operation. It is to be noted that a minimum number of parts are required and many of the parts are duplicated for ease and economy of manufacture. The rolls 11 and 12 may be substantially identical in construction and are readily and economically manufactured by molding rubber or the like directly on the shafts 21 and 22.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be efiected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts of this invention.

I claim as my invention:

, 1. In the wringer in which clothes or the like are passed between lower and upper rolls rotatable on vertically spaced parallel horizontal axes, a frame extending parallel to said rolls, a first pair of bearing means on said frame supporting the opposite ends of said lower roll, a second pair of bearing means supporting the opposite ends of said upper roll, said second pair of bearing means being movable vertically relative to said frame for vertical movement of said upper roll into and out of operative relation to said lower roll, a pair of yokes connected to said second pair of bearing means, a pair of cam levers pivoted on parallel horizontal axes transverse to and between the axes of said rolls and pivotal in the same direction to engage said yokes to move said upper roll downwardly, a pair of lever arms connected to said cam levers and extending generally downwardly from the axes thereof, and a rigid link connected at opposite ends to the lower ends of said lever arms, said frame and said link being disposed below the lower side of said upper roll to pro vide an open-top construction.

2. In a wringer including bottom and top rolls rotatable on vertically spaced parallel horizontal axes, a reset mechanism for applying pressure between said rolls including a lever element at one end of the wringer pivotal about a horizontal axis transverse to said axes and having an arm portion extending generally outwardly from said axis and movable to pivot the lever element in a direction to apply pressure between the rolls, a lever member operatively connected to said arm to pivot said arm and lever element with pivotal movement of the lever member, a handle element pivotally mounted on said lever member for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of movement of said lever, spring means urging said handle element inwardly to a generally vertical position against said one end of the wringer, said handle element being pivotal downwardly to an operative position projecting outwardly from the wringer, link means connected to said lever member at a location spaced from the location where the handle is pivotally mounted on the lever, a sliding connection between said handle and said link means permitting the link to slide vertically on the handle as the handle is pivoted away from its vertical position, and stop means on said lever member positioned to be engaged by said link means when the handle has been pivoted a predetermined distance from its vertical position and said link means applying a pivotal force to said lever member, whereby said lever is actuated with downward movement of said handle element after a predetermined movement to apply pressure between the wringer rolls.

3. In a wringer including bottom and top rolls rotatable on vertically spaced parallel horizontal axes, a reset mechanism for applying pressure between said rolls including a lever element at one end of the wringer pivotal about a horizontal axis transverse to said axes and having an arm portion extending generally outwardly from said axis and movable to pivot the lever element in a direction to apply pressure between the rolls, a lever member, a connecting link pivotally connected to said lever member at one end and pivotally connected to said arm portion at the other end to pivot said arm and lever element with pivotal movement of the lever member, a handle element pivotally mounted on said lever member for movement about a horizontal axis parallel to the axis of movement of said lever, said handle element being pivotal downwardly to an operative position projecting outwardly from the wringer, link means connected to said lever member at a location spaced from the location where the handle is pivotally mounted on the lever, a sliding connection between said handle and said link means permitting the link to slide vertically on the handle as the handle is pivoted away from its vertical position, and stop means on said lever member positioned to be engaged by said link means when the handle has been pivoted a predetermined distance from its verticalposition and said link means applying a pivotal force to said lever member, whereby said lever is actuated with downward movement of said handle element after a predetermined movement to apply pressure between the wringer rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 115,161 Carter May 23, 1871 2,202,779 Kauffman May 28, 1940 2,234,145 Kaufiman Mar. 4, 1941 2,571,351 Etten Oct. 16, 1951 2,600,398 Foster June 17, 1952 2,638,768 Etten May 19, 1953 2,715,827 Cleifl Aug. 23,. 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 245,372 Great Britain Ian. 7, 1926 

